Do you wear a hat whilst leading?

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carys220

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I've just spent a week working at a trekking centre(wasn't for me so I'm home now). When I was leading the little ones from the ground I wore my hat and the other workers asked me why. I explained that I wanted to be safe etc etc and they just thought I was weird....
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Out on one of the treks the horse I was leading was getting bothered by flies and managed to whack me on the head with his fulmer bit, I was pretty glad I had my hat on!!

So the question is, do/would you wear a hat whilst leading in hand, whether the pony is ridden or not?

And if not, why not?
 
I dont, unless the pony is in a kicking mood, in which case i wear full body armour.
I just dont cause its annoying and makes you hot, it would be sensible to wear one though.
If i have children, and horses, i would ake them wear hats all the time round horses though.
I tend to wear one for lunging, longreining, driving and obviously riding though
 
I have found that the policy on a lot of yards (my old college yard, rescue centres) is that you have to wear a hat when handling the horses, some even say you have to wear steel toe cap boots. I think it has something to do with insurance.

I tend not to wear a hat when leading i.e. to and from field unless it's a horse i know is going to misbehave or if the horse was of an unknown history, if that makes sense. I would probably wear one if lead reining at a riding school or trekking centre though. I know it is better to be safe that sorry but it's just the extra fuss and it makes your head all hot. Definatly would for riding and lungeing though.
 
I'm awful. The only time i wear one is while riding.... oh saying that i've been forced to on the marathon carraige a couple of times but due to our lovely sponsors, who i will probs get told off for mentioning on here, gave us great ventilated hats.

I should when leading the baby Percherons but admitedly if i heavy horse arses about it TENDS to be forward/ bolshy rather that up and kicky.
 
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But what if they were bolshy knocked you over and stood on you/kicked your head?

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Well theres the rub and I freely admit i'm a hipocrit as exactly the same thing happened to other groom last week. Luckilly he wasn't wearing a body pro and managed to tuck and roll into some nettles
 
Agree - never wear a hat other than riding. In fact 'back in the day' I worked at a trail riding centre and nobody EVER wore a hat, even when breaking youngsters - to do so was a blatant admission that you were a wimp!! A not saying this was a good thing - just the way things were.
 
Not whilst leading from field etc but lungeing yes and handwalking naything that is or has been on box rest definitely yes!
 
Well I mostly only wear one for riding, but have often thought that I really should be wearing one all the time around horses. There is one horse on the yard who I don't like leading to and from the field and I do wear a hat when I'm leading him. I have put a hat on when loading a tricky loader, but generally I just wear one for riding.
 
at uni we have to wear them to bring horses in or to turnout.

when im at home i only ever wear one for riding, its probably more sensible to wear one all the time around horses.

last week i took my dad's friend's little girl out on a hack on the lead rein on her little pony, i wore a hat then, to set a good example to an impressionable little girl.
 
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last week i took my dad's friend's little girl out on a hack on the lead rein on her little pony, i wore a hat then, to set a good example to an impressionable little girl.

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Very good point!
 
I do when I'm leading my youngsters anywhere...not for my old TB mare.
I would also wear a hat for leading if I were teaching students/children to set the correct example to them.
I'd rather wear my hat and look a little over-cautious, than not and look like a vegetable on a life support machine (no offence intended).
S
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Never, unless known to be naughty. In fact I only wear one when hacking out and hardly ever when schooling (unless I think she's going to be a madam).................................just call me CABBAGE!!!!
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Not unless I know there is a problem with a horse, in which case if it's someone else's I try to avoid handling it anyway!

My ID can have his moments but I'm of the opinion that if he ever caught me on the head a hat would be of very little use as he'd probably snap my neck & if he knocked me down & trod on my head no hat would withstand the pressure. So on the very rare occassion that he has a hissy fit I rely on the ultimate safety measure & walk away
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. When he was younger & seemed to think he was a circus pony I always wore one (also gloves & steel toe caps & led with a lunge line & bridle) but once he realised he could walk on four feet rather than two I stopped bothering.
 
depends on who I am leading and what i'm doing lol, for short fat pony no i never wear a hat, he's far too lazy to bother to rear
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for doing long reining or road work with the dweeb then i do, but i wear my old velvet hat rather than my ventair
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playing with the yearling i do tend to wear the old velvet as he's still a bit flighty.
i never used to wear my hat for leading when i worked at the trekking place, spent far too many hours a day in the saddle with it on so it was always a relief to get a walk out without it!!
 
When I worked at Redwings we had to, it was policy. But I don't do it anymore.
The only time I wear a hat other than for riding is when teasing and in the covering barn.
Although I did have a naughty colt one year for yearling prep, and wore a hat for his in hand work on frisky days, mainly because he'd already wrapped his legs around my shoulders a few times!
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Generally yes. Occasionally forget but have remembered most of the time over the last few months especially when turning out. I have newish horse who seems calm enough but is early days so can't be too careful.

I particularly agree with the comments above re setting a good example especially around young children at riding/treking centres etc.
 
I once worked at a trekking centre leading out clients and my main concern was my feet as mine seem to attract big clomping hoofs. For me wearing a hat around horses depends on the individual - I was helping with RDA last year and the ponies and horses being used with complete saints so never felt any need to wear a hat.

I wear a hat loading as I've cracked my head once too often on the jockey door! I wear those light ventilated endurance-type hats so don't get sweaty.
 
Yes at shows (even if I'm doing in-hand classes only), yes when riding (even if only riding bareback to the field), No when leading either of my two in-hand or turning out, unless the horse is known to be naughty.
 
Lots of people have mentioned that they don't around 'quiet' horses, but as I said in my OP, the pony I was leading was normally quiet but was bothered by flies and gave me a nasty crack on the head with his bit, which would've really hurt had I not been wearing the hat.....
 
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